Blog Archive - Dr. Andrew Joseph Pegoda

Measuring Privilege the Wrong Way

Discussing systems of privilege is important, but there are wrong, and potentially dangerous, ways of having such conversations.

History, Memory, and Why (Some) “Clutter” is Absolutely Essential

If you care about yourself, others, and history, think again before that next “Spring Cleaning” adventure.

Two Tips for Students: Attend Class and Don’t Guess

In this post, Andrew Joseph Pegoda writes an open letter sharing two important pieces of advice with college students.

9 Problems with Money in 2015

1) Overall, Women are (still! hasn’t this been illegal!) paid less than Men in the same job. Women and Men have the same number of hours in a day and have the same working capacity. (Plus Women aren’t given as many opportunities for jobs that would pay more.) 2) Overall, non-Whites are paid less thanContinue reading “9 Problems with Money in 2015”

United States Constitutional Amendments: 28-37

28th: “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.” This amendment takes effect immediately. 29th: Every person has a right to fair and equal wages, the right to unionize, the right to a thirty-five-hour workweek, and eight weeks ofContinue reading “United States Constitutional Amendments: 28-37”

“American History and the Structures of Collective Memory”: Working Survey Results From My Students

Michael Frisch‘s “American History and the Structures of Collective Memory: A Modest Exercise in Empirical Iconography” caught my attention some time ago. Please read or at least skim the article if you can. If you do not have access to an academic database, send me an email, and I can email you a copy ofContinue reading ““American History and the Structures of Collective Memory”: Working Survey Results From My Students”

Birth in the United States, the Pledge of Allegiance, and the Cluster of Signs, Symbols, and Sounds Called “English”

Yesterday too many people across the Internet were “losing their mind” over students at a Pine Bush, New York, school saying the Pledge of Allegiance in Arabic as part of a diversity celebration. See one article here. And Facebook responses here. For my thoughts about the Pledge specifically, see the last part of this blog. Continue reading “Birth in the United States, the Pledge of Allegiance, and the Cluster of Signs, Symbols, and Sounds Called “English””

“I mean, to live is an aggression”: The Life of Life, the Joy of Thinking, and Stream of Consciousness

Susan Sontag is one of my favorite thinkers. Her research is interdisciplinary and informed by the rigorous analysis of anything and everything, where nothing is off limits, and where being well-read is the ultimate joy. She is the perfect model of how to be a successful scholar, artist, and activist. While her ideas can byContinue reading ““I mean, to live is an aggression”: The Life of Life, the Joy of Thinking, and Stream of Consciousness”